Puerto Rican Flag (Nuestra Bandera) revisited...

Ring the alarm! Bring out the bells and whistles, emblazon everything imaginable with the colors of the Puerto Rican flag and the signs that another year, another National Puerto Rican Day Parade has come. If it's any indication of the sentiments felt by those outside the circle of Puerto Rican Pride, then 'Emboricaute' did hit the nail on the head about those very sentiments. The negative connotations in the advertisement brought on the petitioning against it and its eventual removal.

Now we continue this show of pride with one less derogatory to distract us. Not to add any spoils to the pride but lets, at a minimum, understand the meaning behind the flag that gets waved so proudly. Each one can, after all, teach one.

In doing so, here are notes from a previous post on the Puerto Rican flag:

Nuestra Bandera

The Puerto Rican flag..similar to that of the Cuban flag, is beautiful, handsome and gracious.

The Puerto Rican flag was adopted by the Puerto Rican Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, circa 1895. There are several accounts as to the actual creation of the flag but, nonetheless, it was a beautiful creation. The design of the flag is open for debate; Francisco Gonzalo Marin, Antonio Vélez Alvarado, Manuel Besosa and even Lola Rodríguez de Tió have all been credited with the design depending on the account.
While we see so many flags displayed proudly it is hard to believe that from 1898 until 1952 the same flag could not be displayed and was considered a felony to do so. It was 1952, when the flag was adopted and proclaimed the official flag of Puerto Rico.
Prior to 1952 :

• The red symbolized the blood of the brave warriors, white for the peace and victory that would be attained after gaining independence, blue (sky blue) for the sky and blue coastal waters and the lone star represented Puerto Rico.

After 1952:

• The red became to symbolize the blood that nourishes the three branches of government, the white became to symbolize a republican form of government and the blue triangle, which was changed to a darker shade like that of the U.S. flag, represented the three branches of government.

*Note: The blue was changed to the original sky blue tone in 1995.

Additional Notes

• The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, formed on September 22 of 1922, was the first political party to officially use the flag as a symbol of the struggle for independence (just as the Puerto Rican Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party did).
• The Puerto Rican Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party was formed on December 22 of 1895 , at which time they adopted the flag.
• Any flag that is displayed on a vehicle must be attached to a flagpole. (ex. not on the hood, not allowed to touch the ground)
• The Cuban flag was created in 1849 by Venezuelan general Narciso Lopez. It became official in 1902.
• The flag should be raised with the first notes of the Puerto Rican national anthem and continue to be raised slowly so that it reaches the top of the flagpole with the last notes.

*After the celebrations have come and gone, don't just hang up your pride, use it to educate yourself.